The West African Ebola Virus

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Another reason that makes me believe that the United States was not ready for Ebola, was that there was lock of communication between the government and the public, something that definitely needs to be improved for future epidemics. Communication must be fact-based, designed to provide relevant information to inform and protect the public. Inaccuracies in public statements by government officials during this Ebola outbreak communicated to health care providers and the public in the United States contributed to public concern, lack of proper precautions for health care professionals and an initial loss of public confidence in government officials and the health care systems. The fact that two nurses who treated Duncan became infected, despite adhering to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention infection control guidance, did not reassure a nervous public. For example, when the CDC announced that the Ebola virus could survive for several hours on surfaces such as doorknobs, the social media suggested that the CDC had been lying all along due to the fact that they had persistently stated that Ebola could only be spread by contact with bodily fluids. This sudden addition of new ways to contract Ebola only furthered the public’s distrust and fear of government entities (heritage.org, 2014). In my opinion, this could have been avoided if the US government had increased collaboration to assure that all agencies and appointed officials were speaking with one voice and they were honest with the public that dealing with the Ebola crisis was a “learning experience” for all.

References

CDC (2015, September 3). Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients Under Investigation for Ebola Virus Disease in the U.S. Hospitals. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/healthcare-us/hospitals/infection-control.html

Department of Homeland Security (2016, June 21). Ebola Response. Retrieved from: https://www.dhs.gov/archive/ebola-response

Public Health Emergency (2016, June). Report of the Independent Panel on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Ebola Response. Retrieved from: https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/responders/ebola/EbolaResponseReport/Documents/ebola-panel.pdf

The Heritage Foundation (2015, April 24). The Ebola Outbreak of 2013–2014: An Assessment of U.S. Actions. Retrieved from: http://www.heritage.org/homeland-security/report/the-ebola-outbreak-2013-2014-assessment-us-actions